Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Have retained their royal titles even as their father and mother lose the honours they once held themselves.
Earlier this week, Sarah Ferguson was stripped of the Freedom of the City of York when councillors voted to remove the distinction from her. It follows revelations about her friendship with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Sarah Ferguson had been given the honour in 1987, the year after her marriage to the former prince Andrew. Now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, he was stripped of his Freedom of the City of York in 2022.
(Picture by Stephen Lock / i-Images)
Both Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson lost their titles in November last year. Both said they would no longer use their honorifics just before King Charles announced he had asked the Lord Chancellor to remove the titles of Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh from the Roll of Peerage. The King also issued Letters Patent removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s HRH and title of Prince.
However, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, retained their titles and HRHs although The King’s actions are a reminder that this status is far from certain.
Beatrice and Eugenie have been styled as HRH and Princess since their births because of their great, great grandfather, King George V.
George V’s 1917 Letters Patent stated that all the grandchildren of a Monarch in the male line, that is the legitimate children of their sons, can be known as HRH and Prince or Princess.
Beatrice and Eugenie are both grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II and so are both HRH and Princess. That remains unchanged. However, the decision of King Charles to issue Letters Patent removing the HRH and Prince that had belonged, under the same 1917 rules, to Andrew is a reminder that royal status is very much up to the Monarch.
If King Charles were to decide that his nieces should no longer be princesses, he could simply issue fresh Letters Patent that would remove their titles. The same is true of anyone who holds a title under the 1917 Letters Patent of King George V.
(Picture by Stephen Lock / i-Images)
Less easy to change is the line of succession to the throne. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor remains eighth in line and taking him out of the succession requires an Act of Parliament. It would also need agreement from all the other realms where Charles III is Monarch.
However, leading politicians in Canada, Australia and New Zealand have all indicated that they would support his removal from the succession. That scrutiny has intensified since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February by officers investigating misconduct in public office. He was released eleven hours later, under investigation.
His former home at Royal Lodge was searched – he had moved out of it at the end of January after surrendering the lease on the thirty room mansion which sits in Windsor Great Park and is part of the Crown Estate. The former prince is moving to a smaller residence on the Sandringham estate, which is the personal property of King Charles. His new home in Norfolk was also searched by officers as part of the investigation.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were both with the Royal Family at Christmas. It was seen as a clear indication from both women of their decision to support the royals as their parents fell into further disgrace. However, their longer term status remains uncertain as the House of York continues to falter.
